Objectives
1. Look at the search experience from a different angle.
2. Practice and discuss ways to help students search more thoughtfully and effectively.
3. Discuss appropriate rules, strategies, and etiquette.
NON-Objective - This course is not designed to provide detailed search or citation terms at the advanced or college level.
ISTE Standards for Students
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a.
plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b.
locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c.
evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d.
process data and report results.
ISTE Standards for Teachers
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:
a.
demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
b.
collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
c.
communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.
d.
model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.
SlashNGrab -http://www.slashngrab.co.uk/ this allows you to search the most popular sites on the web easily from one place. Simply type the name of the site you want to search, followed by a slash and the term that you're searching for.
KidRex- http://www.kidrex.org/ - Owned by Google - Safer search for elementary children.
SweetSearch - http://www.sweetsearch.com/ - Nice search engine, with divisions for educators, librarians, etc...
InstaGrok - http://www.instagrok.com/ - Search results in a concept map with adjustable difficulty level.
Searching Process
Basics –
Every word matters – looks for all words in a document – disconnected
Searches are case Insensitive – new york times is the same as New York Times
Punctuation is ignored (with some minor exceptions)
Keywords – "The better: the better" Students must now be taught search logic. Search logic is the thoughtful combination of search terms - much like a boxer's combination of punches - that allows the researcher to eliminate irrelevant information and focus on the most promising sources. (Jamie McKenzie)
Keep it simple (Ex. [skunk smell], is better than [how to get the skunk smell off dogs]
Use descriptive words – (Ex. [Celebrity ringtones] is better than [Celebrity sounds]
Google Advanced Search - Type a word or phrase then hit enter. Next, click on the "gear" and choose Advanced Search...EX. Domain - US or RU, nasa.gov
Find pages with...
Then narrow your results with...
Boolean terms (AND, OR)
Using hypen to exclude (Ex. [peanut -allergy]
Using Quotations (Ex. ["royal baby"] (Ex. "alexander graham bell" will find all three names in that order not just Alexander Bell)
Using Site: (Ex. [flood:tennesean.com] [flood:.gov]
Using + or double quotes for exact (Ex. [+Catsup] [anti-virus +disease]
Using * as a wildcard ( Ex. [obama said * about * disaster]
Using OR (must be in all caps) (Ex. [Titan’s 2008 OR 2009] written the other way will cause it to find only those with both
Using AROUND - Ex. "peanut" AROUND(10) "allergy"
From a Google Search - Look at More and Show Search Tools
The following is a document that was used for helping teachers set guidelines for elementary classroom research. You may or may not want to use it based on the participants.
Creating classroom technology stations that go hand-in-hand with content being taught in content areas is an enriching and easy way for students to improve achievement and gain mastery!!!
Evaluating or Validating Information and Sites
Validating Sources or Choosing Most Valid Choice Options
It is important to validate sources…research has changed…now only a small percent of information students find is physically in the library. Most information is from the internet, so they often have literally billions of choices for each search.
Example - Use "pope israel" vs. "pope site:cnn.com" vs. "pope site:il" - The information is different from each search, some more drastically than others depending on global point of view.
Example - Try "American Revolutionary War" vs. "American Revolutionary War site:co.uk" - The British point of view of the American Revolutionary War is different than the United States version.
Some extensions may provide more reliable information than others, but there are no guarantees.
Ones that may be more reliable are .edu, .gov, .k12.
Ones to watch out for are .com, .org, .net. These domains can be purchased by anybody. This is not to say that sites with these extensions can never be trusted, but it is good to know whether you are on a commercial or special interest-type site if you are trying to access academic information.
Validate Ownership when in doubt – (Ex. The website www.martinlutherking.orglooks reliable to students. It has the main name in the title, and org is for non-profit. It also comes up near the top of most searches. These make students think it is valid. This site is now blocked by most school filters, because of content hosted by extremist groups.
One way to check ownership of a site is to use www.easywhois.com and type in the address. Try this with participants. It comes back to a group called Stormfront…when googled, the first line describes them as a white supremicist group. [www.cmcss.net][googlestormfront]
Another "WhoIs" search to find the owner of websites can be found by going to www.whois.com . Click on the link below the text box labeled "WHOIS Lookup". Type the website address on which you need information. Type the Security Key into the box and click SEARCH.
It is often hard to determine if a site is a “personal” site, linked to an individual.Creative website naming can mask this. It is a good rule of thumb to note that even in trusted web addresses use of tildes or percent symbols (~ / %) within and address is an indicator.
Example The now defunct web address __http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~abutz/di/intro.html__ appears reliable, in that it is attached to Northwestern University,however, the above mentioned article is from a specific professor, A. Butz, and is about his belief that the Holocaust is fictional.
Beyond validating source information, evaluating the usefulness of a site is of paramount importance to researchers of all ages! A valid site that is NOT useful, is so complex that needed information is "hidden", or that uses vocabulary far beyond the readers comfort level hinders the identification and collection of needed information. Students must be trained to "Skim" a site so that eliminations can occur in seconds, not minutes!
Look at the First Page of a Site -
Is it age appropriate?
Does the layout place important information within immediate view?
Are the links organized and easy to follow?
Are you likely to find needed information here? Quickly?
Students must "Skim" for information.
Websites are not novels, meant to be read cover to cover. They are organized in small chunks so that readers can eat only the chunks that are relevant, and digest only the ones that most fit the topic.
Students must be trained and then practice focusing on the needed portions of a website, while ignoring or skimming past unnecessary information.
Without training and guidance, students can spend all of their time "looking" and none of their time "finding".
Finding, Recognizing, and Appreciating Varied Points of View
Part of Digital Citizenship and, indeed, Global Citizenship, is recognizing that the opinions or points of view held by oneself, or by those whom one most closely associates, is not necessarily the only opinion or point of view. Technology makes it possible for students to be exposed to the opinions and points of view of people outside of their geographic, political, educational, and special interest realm.
Example - [obama troop increase] vs. [obama troop increase site:.af]
Example - [governor ousted] vs. [governor ousted site:chicagotribune.com]
*It is important to help students recognize that opinions are often more heated and intense for those most closely related to controversial events.
Appreciating varied points of view is a big part of Global Citizenship.
The idea of research is to study what others have published and form your own opinions. When you quote people, or even when you summarize or paraphrase information found in books, articles, or Web pages, you must acknowledge the original author.
If you use someone else's words or ideas without crediting them, you are committing a type of theft called plagiarism. Plagiarism can be as obvious as turning in another person's paper or project as your own or as subtle as paraphrasing sections of various works. It is also inappropriate to copy text from Web pages or other sources without identifying the sources.
Citing sources makes it possible to avoid plagiarism. Rules of Thumb -Take clear, accurate notes about where you found specific ideas. Write down the complete citation information for each item you use. Use quotation marks when directly stating another person's words. Always credit original authors for their information and ideas. MLA Quick Reference page on this wiki!
The following is a limited list of Citation Making Sites for students of varied age groups:
Particularly at the early elementary level, it is not always necessary to do a formal citation. Early elementary students should always list the website where the information or image was located to acknowledge that there is no intent to infringe on copyright laws.
What is copyright? Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors or creators of "original works of authorship," including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works. Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers
What is copyright infringement? Anyone who exploits any of the exclusive rights of copyright without the copyright owner's permission commits copyright infringement. Legal action can be taken, especially if the person using the items makes money from the use or if the author loses money because of the use.
What is Fair Use? The exclusive rights of the copyright owner are not unlimited. The copyright law establishes some limitations on these rights. One of the most important limitations on the exclusive rights is the doctrine of "Fair Use." The "Fair Use" doctrine allows limited copying of copyrighted works for educational and research purposes. The copyright law provides that reproduction "for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research" is not an infringement of copyright.
Cyberbee has an interesting interactive quiz about copyright designed for elementary students. Teachers of the elementary grades may be interested in using this with their students. http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf
The following site sponsored by the NC Public Schools gives a more comprehensive listing of the fair use and copyright laws as they pertain to older students, with an entire section devoted to ELECTRONIC MEDIA. http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/copyright1.html
Get Permission-
It is possible to obtain permission to use music, photos, documents, etc... http://www.copyrightkids.org/whatcopyframes.htm and select "Get Permission" from the drop down menu.
Creative Commons
What is creative commons? Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that offers more flexible licenses compared to traditional copyright protection and the term "Creative Commons" has become a title associated with images and other items that are free and able to be used without copyright concerns.
The following is a limited list of resources that supply graphics that are "public domain" (free, with no permission required to use them) or free with the expectations of fair use.
What is Global Citizenship ?
Global citizenship is the concept of citizenship on a global level. It is a moral and ethical disposition which might guide the understanding of individual or groups of local and global contexts and their relative responsibilities within different communities. A feeling of global citizenship is motivated by local interests (love of family, communal fairness, self-interest) as well as global interests (a sense of universal equality), and care for fellow humans as well as human rights and human dignity. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_citizenship)
The following link is to Oxfam, a UK charity, with great information on Global Citizenship. They have a downloadable pdf of an example curriculum with wonderful graphics and charts! http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/
It is up to individual teachers to incorporate global citizenship ideals into technology lessons. However, there are many online projects that lend themselves very well and easily to that end.
The opportunities for students to participate in projects with students from other schools, states, and countries are unlimited!
Basic Online Safety
Online Safety is a serious and complex issue. There are federal mandates that guide how we train our teachers, parents, and students.
However, it is prudent to discuss basic online safety with teachers in this course. They have an opportunity to embed simple safety procedures and policies into their daily technology lessons that could powerfully impact student safety, both in school and outside of the school.
1. No "Random" internet searching.
2. Students should NEVER click on Ads, PopUps,"Contests," or Chat Rooms.
3. Should a message or request to join a chat appear, students should immediately inform the teacher WITHOUT RESPONDING.
4. If the student accidently views text or images that he/she knows is inappropriate, they should IMMEDIATELY close the browser, then tell the teacher. This minimizes exposure to the negative item and alerts the teacher, so that the teacher can provide search assistance.
Teachers should...
not over-react when a student says they have seen something inappropriate. Making a big deal about it just escalates the negativity.
never ask a child to "describe" what they saw. The goal is to avoid seeing it again, NOT to articulate the experience and share it aloud within earshot of other students!
not "villainize" a student who stumbles across something negative. We all stumble. Students should feel safe telling a teacher.
calmly, swiftly, and consistently follow the school discipline policy, if students purposefully find or share negative items.
be able to view History to find the site at another time.
5. Students should never give personal information online (identifying screennames, addresses, city, state, pet name, etc...).
6. Be sure that students recognize that any information they put online will always be online, even if they remove the page. That means, you can't "take it back."*Note - Anything you put online is PR, negative PR can keep you out of a college or a job!
7. Students must be aware of the existence of Cyberbullying or Cyberhate, and they need to know that there are consequences for comments, threats, or slanderous statements.
8. Sexting - Explain to teachers what this is and how the consequences can be harsh and permanent. Both sending and just possessing inappropriate images is criminal.
9. Plagiarism - The students need to know that it is now easy for schools, universities, etc... to identify plagiarized material. Consequences for this can be severe. With the emphasis on rigor and relevance, teachers need to promote thought provoking projects that do not lend themselves to copy and paste answers.
10. Pirating Music - This is the most common offense for young people. Illegally downloading music is a crime. Sharing illegally downloaded music is an even more serious crime. Young people are being prosecuted throughout the US for this crime.
11. Teachers MUST make sure they establish classroom norms and that they TEACH, MODEL, and REINFORCE acceptable use of all technology and the internet!
1. Look at the search experience from a different angle.
2. Practice and discuss ways to help students search more thoughtfully and effectively.
3. Discuss appropriate rules, strategies, and etiquette.
NON-Objective - This course is not designed to provide detailed search or citation terms at the advanced or college level.
ISTE Standards for Students
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
ISTE Standards for Teachers
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:
Finding Information
Search EnginesSearching Process
- Basics –
- Every word matters – looks for all words in a document – disconnected
- Searches are case Insensitive – new york times is the same as New York Times
- Punctuation is ignored (with some minor exceptions)
- Keywords – "The better: the better" Students must now be taught search logic. Search logic is the thoughtful combination of search terms - much like a boxer's combination of punches - that allows the researcher to eliminate irrelevant information and focus on the most promising sources. (Jamie McKenzie)
- Keep it simple (Ex. [skunk smell], is better than [how to get the skunk smell off dogs]
- Use descriptive words – (Ex. [Celebrity ringtones] is better than [Celebrity sounds]
- Google Advanced Search - Type a word or phrase then hit enter. Next, click on the "gear" and choose Advanced Search...EX. Domain - US or RU, nasa.gov
- Find pages with...
- Then narrow your results with...
- Boolean terms (AND, OR)
- Using hypen to exclude (Ex. [peanut -allergy]
- Using Quotations (Ex. ["royal baby"] (Ex. "alexander graham bell" will find all three names in that order not just Alexander Bell)
- Using Site: (Ex. [flood:tennesean.com] [flood:.gov]
- Using + or double quotes for exact (Ex. [+Catsup] [anti-virus +disease]
- Using * as a wildcard ( Ex. [obama said * about * disaster]
- Using OR (must be in all caps) (Ex. [Titan’s 2008 OR 2009] written the other way will cause it to find only those with both
- Using AROUND - Ex. "peanut" AROUND(10) "allergy"
- From a Google Search - Look at More and Show Search Tools
The following is a document that was used for helping teachers set guidelines for elementary classroom research. You may or may not want to use it based on the participants.Ten Steps to Better Web Research by SweetSearch - http://www.sweetsearch.com/TenSteps
Help Your Students Be Successful Searchers
- Write guiding questions.
- Determine expectations for a technology station that goes with classroom content.
- Ultimately, help your students to build their own skills toward making great questions.
Google Lesson Plans for Educational Searching and Evaluation of SourcesCreating classroom technology stations that go hand-in-hand with content being taught in content areas is an enriching and easy way for students to improve achievement and gain mastery!!!
Evaluating or Validating Information and Sites
Validating Sources or Choosing Most Valid Choice OptionsLook at Newspaper Links from other states - http://www.refdesk.com/paper.html
Finding, Recognizing, and Appreciating Varied Points of View
Part of Digital Citizenship and, indeed, Global Citizenship, is recognizing that the opinions or points of view held by oneself, or by those whom one most closely associates, is not necessarily the only opinion or point of view. Technology makes it possible for students to be exposed to the opinions and points of view of people outside of their geographic, political, educational, and special interest realm.*It is important to help students recognize that opinions are often more heated and intense for those most closely related to controversial events.
Appreciating varied points of view is a big part of Global Citizenship.
District Research Resources
PebbleGo -
Tennessee Electronic Library -
CHS Library -
Discovery Streaming - replaces Powermedia Plus
Citing Sources and Fair Use
The idea of research is to study what others have published and form your own opinions. When you quote people, or even when you summarize or paraphrase information found in books, articles, or Web pages, you must acknowledge the original author.
If you use someone else's words or ideas without crediting them, you are committing a type of theft called plagiarism. Plagiarism can be as obvious as turning in another person's paper or project as your own or as subtle as paraphrasing sections of various works. It is also inappropriate to copy text from Web pages or other sources without identifying the sources.
Citing sources makes it possible to avoid plagiarism. Rules of Thumb -Take clear, accurate notes about where you found specific ideas. Write down the complete citation information for each item you use. Use quotation marks when directly stating another person's words. Always credit original authors for their information and ideas.
MLA Quick Reference page on this wiki!
The following is a limited list of Citation Making Sites for students of varied age groups:
Particularly at the early elementary level, it is not always necessary to do a formal citation. Early elementary students should always list the website where the information or image was located to acknowledge that there is no intent to infringe on copyright laws.
What is copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors or creators of "original works of authorship," including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works. Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers
What is copyright infringement?
Anyone who exploits any of the exclusive rights of copyright without the copyright owner's permission commits copyright infringement. Legal action can be taken, especially if the person using the items makes money from the use or if the author loses money because of the use.
What is Fair Use?
The exclusive rights of the copyright owner are not unlimited. The copyright law establishes some limitations on these rights. One of the most important limitations on the exclusive rights is the doctrine of "Fair Use." The "Fair Use" doctrine allows limited copying of copyrighted works for educational and research purposes. The copyright law provides that reproduction "for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research" is not an infringement of copyright.
Cyberbee has an interesting interactive quiz about copyright designed for elementary students. Teachers of the elementary grades may be interested in using this with their students. http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf
The following site sponsored by the NC Public Schools gives a more comprehensive listing of the fair use and copyright laws as they pertain to older students, with an entire section devoted to ELECTRONIC MEDIA. http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/copyright1.html
Copyright Rule of Thumb Chart from Technology and Learning (with cited source: United States Copyright Office)-
http://www.halldavidson.net/chartshort.html
Get Permission-
It is possible to obtain permission to use music, photos, documents, etc... http://www.copyrightkids.org/whatcopyframes.htm and select "Get Permission" from the drop down menu.
Creative Commons
What is creative commons?Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that offers more flexible licenses compared to traditional copyright protection and the term "Creative Commons" has become a title associated with images and other items that are free and able to be used without copyright concerns.
The following is a limited list of resources that supply graphics that are "public domain" (free, with no permission required to use them) or free with the expectations of fair use.
Global Citizenship
What is Global Citizenship ?Global citizenship is the concept of citizenship on a global level. It is a moral and ethical disposition which might guide the understanding of individual or groups of local and global contexts and their relative responsibilities within different communities. A feeling of global citizenship is motivated by local interests (love of family, communal fairness, self-interest) as well as global interests (a sense of universal equality), and care for fellow humans as well as human rights and human dignity. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_citizenship)
The following link is to Oxfam, a UK charity, with great information on Global Citizenship. They have a downloadable pdf of an example curriculum with wonderful graphics and charts! http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/
It is up to individual teachers to incorporate global citizenship ideals into technology lessons. However, there are many online projects that lend themselves very well and easily to that end.
The opportunities for students to participate in projects with students from other schools, states, and countries are unlimited!
Basic Online Safety
Online Safety is a serious and complex issue. There are federal mandates that guide how we train our teachers, parents, and students.However, it is prudent to discuss basic online safety with teachers in this course. They have an opportunity to embed simple safety procedures and policies into their daily technology lessons that could powerfully impact student safety, both in school and outside of the school.
http://cmcss-tech-lessons.wikispaces.com/Internet+Safety+Resources
http://empowerstudents.wikispaces.com/Digital+Citizenship
http://empowerstudents.wikispaces.com/Safety+Online+Lessons+and+Ideas
Some Safety Tips for All Ages (For the Classroom)
1. No "Random" internet searching.2. Students should NEVER click on Ads, PopUps,"Contests," or Chat Rooms.
3. Should a message or request to join a chat appear, students should immediately inform the teacher WITHOUT RESPONDING.
4. If the student accidently views text or images that he/she knows is inappropriate, they should IMMEDIATELY close the browser, then tell the teacher. This minimizes exposure to the negative item and alerts the teacher, so that the teacher can provide search assistance.
Teachers should...
5. Students should never give personal information online (identifying screennames, addresses, city, state, pet name, etc...).
6. Be sure that students recognize that any information they put online will always be online, even if they remove the page. That means, you can't "take it back."*Note - Anything you put online is PR, negative PR can keep you out of a college or a job!
7. Students must be aware of the existence of Cyberbullying or Cyberhate, and they need to know that there are consequences for comments, threats, or slanderous statements.
8. Sexting - Explain to teachers what this is and how the consequences can be harsh and permanent. Both sending and just possessing inappropriate images is criminal.
9. Plagiarism - The students need to know that it is now easy for schools, universities, etc... to identify plagiarized material. Consequences for this can be severe. With the emphasis on rigor and relevance, teachers need to promote thought provoking projects that do not lend themselves to copy and paste answers.
10. Pirating Music - This is the most common offense for young people. Illegally downloading music is a crime. Sharing illegally downloaded music is an even more serious crime. Young people are being prosecuted throughout the US for this crime.
11. Teachers MUST make sure they establish classroom norms and that they TEACH, MODEL, and REINFORCE acceptable use of all technology and the internet!
CMCSS Wikispaces Pages With Online Safety Info
Student, Parent, and Teacher Resources
List of other resources